Kail way oak



(No Model.) 2 Sheets- 811601: 1.

W. J. GURD.

RAILWAY GAR.

No. 245,372. Patented'Au'g. 9,1881.

jnvnzvr N. Pzrina Phololilhognphen Washvnglan. n. c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. J. GURD.

RAILWAY GAR.

(No Model.)

. Patented Aug. 9, 1881.

Venior NY PETERS. Plmmlnho nulwn \Muln'nglon. D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. GURD, OF SARNIA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,372, dated August 9, 1881.

Application filed March 8, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. GURD, of Sarnia, in the county of Lambton and Dominion of Canada, haveinvented an Improvement in Railway-Oars, of which the following is a specification.

The nature of my invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction of railway freight-cars of that class known as stock-cars,aml which are employed for the transportation of live stock.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction and operation of parts, by means of which, first, the stock may be fed without the necessity ot'u nloadin g and yarding the stock; second, the stock may be watered while in transit; and, third, when the car is not used for stock it may readily be transformed into a box-car for freight.

Figure l is a plan view, with the top of the car removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, with a portion of the hay-racks removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross'section, showing two decks, as when employed for small stock, with watertroughs and feed-racks, and also showing the devices for elevating the water-troughs and securing them adjacent to the roof. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section, showing the decks or floors turned upon their edges to form the sides ot'a box-car, and the water-tron ghs secured under and adjacent to the roof.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, A represents a floor of a car, and B the ends thereof, of the usual construction. The sides of the car are made of vertical or horizontal bars, as may be preferred, secured at top and bottom, it of vertical bars, to the plates and sills, or, if of horizontal bars, to the corner-posts and door-posts in the usual manner, and at suitable distances apart to enable the stock to reach the feed in the feed-racks on the outside of the car.-

I will describe the car as a double-decker, and as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

G and D represent the decks, the former lying upon the floor A, and the latter upon suitable studs or supports, a, at aproper distance from the lower one. In the center of each of these decks there is an upwardly-openin g door, I), for giving ingress and egress to the car when the decks are used as sides to the car, as hereinat'ter described.

E are watering-troughs, of which there are four, two for each deck, as shown in Fig. 3. These troughs extend the whole length of the car, on each side thereof, and their outer sides may be made to embrace the vertical studs c of the car. To prevent displacement of water in the troughs, as far as possible, from the sudden starting or stoppingofthe car, these troughs are divided into compartments by the vertical division-plates d, which are cut away, as at c, on their bottom edge, to allow free communication between the various compartments and keep the water on a level in all the compart, ments, so far as ispossible. Near each end of each of these troughs, and in the sides or ends thereof, thereareopenings,r', by means ot'which and flexible pipes It connections may be made with the troughs in the adjoining cars. At

least one of the cars in the train should be pro-- vided with an iron pipe, k, extending across one end ofthe car, and to each end of this pipe the flexible pipes it should be attached, and the pipe k is fed by a flexible pipe, g, connecting, when required, with a water-tank stationary by the side of the road, or with any other suitable source of supply. It is preferable that this connection be upon the firstcarin the train, so that the water may be fed to the troughs while the engine is taking water at a station,

and the water fed to the troughs in this car will be conveyed to all the troughs in all the cars connected together by the flexible connections h.

Suspended from the roof 1 of the car, near each end, are a series of hook-chains, m, by

means of which the troughs are suspended, as

shown in Fig. 4, the winch m and suitable ropes, a, being employed to raise the troughs to the elevated position shown.

F are feed-racks, four in number, on each side the car. These racks extend from the door-posts to the ends of the car, as shown, where one end of the car in Fig. 2 is shown as provided with racks composed of hOI'lZOlP tal bars secured to suitable uprights, and the other end of the car is provided'with racks com posed of vertical bars secured to horizontal plates. These racks are pivoted attheir hottom edges to the sides of the car, as shown in Fig. 3, and when not in use they are held tightly against the sides of the car by means of the springs o.

WVhen it is desired to fill the racks with hay or other feed they are opened, as shown in Fig. 3, and held in this position by the pivoted stops 8. hen the racks are filled the stops should be folded back to the side of the car,-

when the springs will compress the racks against their contents, and, as the contents are eaten, gradually close the racks against the sides of the ear.

The slatted doors of the car are hung upon slides t in the usual way, and similar racks, of dimensions corresponding to the width of the doors, are secured to the latter.

\Vhen the car is to be used for larger stock the troughs of one of the decks may be hoisted up and secured, as described, and the deck D lowered onto the deck 0, or these parts may be removed. When so used only the upper racks would be required.

hen the car is to be used as a box-car the troughs may be hoisted up and secured, when the decks O l) are turned upon their edges, as shown in Fig. 4, and secured in position by the hooks u, or by any other suitable devices. The doors I) are then presented opposite the space between the door-posts.

By the use of a car of this construction stock may be carried a long distance safely and with comfort to themselves, and without detention for feed and water, as the racks and troughs may be charged while the engine is taking fuel and water.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. A stock-car with open or slatted sides, provided with two decks of the full width of the floor, said decks being constructed and adapted to be folded against the sides of the car to convert the same into a tight box-car, substantially as described.

2. A stockcar provided with two decks of the full width of the floor thereof, as described, each deck being supplied with a door forming a portion of the floor when used for stock, and through which ingress and egress is had when said decks are employed to convert the open car into a box-car, substantially as specified.

3. A stock-car provided with feed-racks upon the outside thereof, and adapted to compress the feed and to be folded against the side of the car, in combination with the springs 0, for closing said racks, substantially as described.

4. A stock-car constructed substantially as described, and provided with a winch for elevating the troughs, one at a time, to the roof, and having separate hooks and chain-links for supporting and fastening each trough to the roof, as set forth.

5. In combination with a stock-car having feed-racks hinged to the outside thereof and pressed inward by the springs 0, the pivoted stops 8, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

\VILLIAM J. GURD.

Witnesses A. BARTHEL, E. W. ANDREWS. 

